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I know I can’t speak for every woman out there, but it’s pretty safe to say that most of us love to shop. For some reason, a new dress or handbag makes us feel as good as getting our nails done or trying some new lipstick. I guess you could say we like to try different things and reinvent ourselves.

It has always been like that, but recent studies have found that social media has changed our shopping habits and actually makes us buy even more and also shop more frequently. The reason? We don’t want to be seen in the same outfit twice on Instagram and co.

It sounds extremely superficial and kind of ridiculous, but think about it: Have you honestly never changed an outfit because you remembered that your friends or family have already seen you in it?

Now replace friends or family with all the people that follow you on social media and you have a much larger group looking at you. So if you have a habit of documenting your life with the help of selfies and status updates, chances are you want to portray a glammed-up version of your life that includes a closet full of outfits you only wear once.

But it’s not just about the fear of re-wearing clothes; social media bombards us with pretty pictures of the hottest trends and must-haves every single day, which increases our need for new things and changes our shopping behavior. This is not just limited to fashion, but also applies to homewear, make up and food.

In a survey by British fashion retailer TK Maxx, 25 per cent of people admitted to being influenced by comments and likes they received on social media. Positive comments on a new outfit thereby reinforce our urge to buy more.

It’s quite remarkable how important social media has become in the past few years. It has gone from a means of communication to a crucial marketing tool for brands and individuals alike, but the fact that we tend to buy more because of social media is really just a new version of an old problem: we care too much about what other people think. Always have, always will.